IIT Bombay student Sahil Ravindra Wakode died by suicide after reportedly being caught using a mobile phone during a mid-semester examination, a situation his parents have linked to alleged caste-based discrimination and institutional harassment by Professor Suryanarayana Doolla. The incident has led to protests on campus, the removal of Professor Doolla from his dean position, and the formation of a high-level committee to investigate the circumstances of Wakode's death. Mumbai Police have registered a case against Professor Doolla under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and for abetment of suicide.

IIT Bombay student Sahil Ravindra Wakode died by suicide after reportedly being caught using a mobile phone during a mid-semester examination, a situation his parents have linked to alleged caste-based discrimination and institutional harassment by Professor Suryanarayana Doolla. The incident has led to protests on campus, the removal of Professor Doolla from his dean position, and the formation of a high-level committee to investigate the circumstances of Wakode's death. Mumbai Police have registered a case against Professor Doolla under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and for abetment of suicide.

IIT Bombay student Sahil Ravindra Wakode died by suicide after reportedly being caught using a mobile phone during a mid-semester examination, a situation his parents have linked to alleged caste-based discrimination and institutional harassment by Professor Suryanarayana Doolla. The incident has led to protests on campus, the removal of Professor Doolla from his dean position, and the formation of a high-level committee to investigate the circumstances of Wakode's death. Mumbai Police have registered a case against Professor Doolla under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and for abetment of suicide.

IIT Bombay student Sahil Ravindra Wakode, who died by suicide after allegedly being caught cheating during an examination, reportedly told a friend that he had made a mistake.

“I made a mistake. My Thermodynamics paper also did not go well, and now this has happened,” Sahil was quoted as telling his friend, who gave a statement to the investigation team, according to an NDTV report.

Sahil reportedly spoke to his friend over the phone at around 2.30 pm on Friday, hours before he was found hanging from the ceiling fan in his hostel room.

Authorities said Sahil, a second-year BTech student, was caught using a mobile phone during a mid-semester examination. His death subsequently sparked a wave of protests on the campus.

Sahil’s parents alleged that Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who was invigilating the examination, had earlier hurled caste-based slurs at their son. They also alleged that Sahil had been subjected to institutional harassment and caste-based discrimination over the past three months, and demanded the immediate arrest of IIT Bombay Director Professor Shirish Kedare and Professor Doolla.

However, sources said Sahil did not mention any caste-based insult during his conversation with his friend.

On Monday, amid escalating protests, the institute removed Professor Doolla as Dean of Administrative Affairs and sent him on leave a day later.

The institute also set up a 10-member high-level committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding Sahil’s death.

The Mumbai Police have booked Doolla under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Section 108 (abetment of suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, following a complaint lodged by Wakode’s family.